I drove myself almost crazy (short drive) last summer looking for a nice bolt action under $1,000.00. Looked at TC, Savage, Ruger, Browning, etc. but finally decided on a Tikka T3 Lite. I went with a 7 mm Mag because I hunt moose in NL and absolutely love this rifle. Smooth bolt action and extremely accurate. Some of the other bolt actions seemed heavier and rougher (won't mention brands as I don't want to offend). The other thing to consider is the trigger with the bolt action. I really like the trigger on Tikka's as well. Sako is the delux Tikka but runs more than $1,000.

I drove myself almost crazy (short drive) last summer looking for a nice bolt action under $1,000.00. Looked at TC, Savage, Ruger, Browning, etc. but finally decided on a Tikka T3 Lite. I went with a 7 mm Mag because I hunt moose in NL and absolutely love this rifle. Smooth bolt action and extremely accurate. Some of the other bolt actions seemed heavier and rougher (won't mention brands as I don't want to offend). The other thing to consider is the trigger with the bolt action. I really like the trigger on Tikka's as well. Sako is the delux Tikka but runs more than $1,000.

Other way round.. .Tikka is the poor man's SAKO

0

If you take your kids hunting,.....You won't have to go hunting for your kids.....KS/85

Agreed - that's what I meant when I said that Sako is the delux Tikka as it is a more expensive and better quality rifle (steel mag. etc.). In other words Sako = Tikka Delux or Tika = poor man's Sako. So I think we are saying the same thing Kevin.

For me i have fell in love with the brownings both the a-bolt and the x-bolt second for me would be a savage.My next rifle i buy though i'm looking hard at the new ruger american in a 3006 i have been hearing alot of good stuff about them and for the money i may have to give it a try.

I plan on another .30-06 because i believe the round is all you'll ever need to take any ungulate or black bear in North America.I already have a semi in this cal but love my bolts.I have it down to the weatherby vanguard series 2 and model 70 winchester.The vanguard is 350-400 less but will likely hold it's own with it.The winchester i like is the stainless fluted with B&C synthetic stock and retails for $1200 +.

There are many good and some great bolt action rifles out there and many of them are very accurate. I have owned quite a few over the years and here is my list:

1. SAKO Model 85 (Any of the various offerings in wood or synthetic). They are quite expensive but if you have the bread they are as good as it gets. The smoothest bolt action that I ever used and the fit and finish on these rifles is amazing. I like the Finnlight model with fluted barrel.

2. TIKKA made by SAKO but at a great price under $1,000. Smooth action and very accurate.

3. Any Husqvarna if you can find one in good shape. They were made in Sweden and were good shooters.

4. Winchester Model 70 Still a great rifle after all the years and now even better with a pre 1964 mauser type action. I handled a new one recently and found it a tad heavy for me even with a synthetic stock. Maybe that was just me as I am used to the SAKO and Husqvarna featherweight rifles

5. BROWNING X-BOLT (With synthetic stock for weight saving). They are made in Japan for Browning but all the folks that own one swear by them. There is good video on youtube that will help folks.
Google BROWNING X-Bolt test firing. It was done in Australia and is easy to find.

6. RUGER Model 77. A well made rifle with a new 3 position safety. They shoot really well and as a bonus come with Ruger scope rings. A bit on the heavy side (7 lbs or so)

7. I'll put Remington 700 here. I own one made in 1980. It's the BDL version in .308. It is a great rifle and I will never part with it. I would not buy one of newer ones with the altered safety as it no longer locks the bolt with the safety on. Maybe its just me but I dont like it. Remington should have gone to a three position safety like the Win 70 or as Ruger has done with the Model 77 a few years ago.

Well there you have it. There are many others available but these are my picks. I hope I didn't annoy anyone as I was just trying to be helpful with 70 years of water under the bridge.

My model 700 bdl in .270 that i bought new 23 or so years ago and it has always been a tack driver.I'm in the process of bedding it into a boyd's thumbhole and adding a timney trigger.I just paid a visit to Bass pro shop in Calgary yesterday and picked up a aet of talley lightweight one piece ring/mounts for it.Can't wait to see the results on paper.I had the itch this past year for a .243 and i took a chance on a Ruger American rifle.Wow,what an accurate rifle.No regrets and i strongly reccomend it fpr anyone who doesn't want to break thw bank.Lastly,i hope to get to the range this week to try the savage 10xp predator i recently picked up.I'll let everyone know how it shoots.

Now that's an open ended question. There are as many answers as there are brands and models. There is also the question of usage. Some of you may say the best automobile is a Ferrari or a Rolls Royce. However, a mother with three kids and a dog would probably be better served with a minivan of some flavor. Keeping with this same thinking, a hunter looking for pronghorn antelope on the open prairie would have a very different answer than say the hunter looking for a grizzly in an alder thicket?

I guess for me the perfect rifle is one we have confidence in and that is suitable to the task at hand.